Wednesday, September 16, 2026

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Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, announced on Wednesday, 25 Shahrivar, that Mahan Airlines flights from Iran to Turkey would be canceled from 30 Shahrivar [and flights to Oman from 26 Shahrivar 1405] until further notice. Asr Iran News Agency had also reported, citing an informed source, that the Georgian government would suspend flights by all Iranian airlines to the country starting next Monday, following new U.S. sanctions. Asr Iran added that its review of several travel agencies showed that tours to Georgia would be sold only through Sunday, 29 Shahrivar. @ VahidOnLive 📡 @VahidOnline

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Abolfazl Ghadiani, a political prisoner held in Evin Prison, rejected the Islamic Republic’s account that “terrorists affiliated with foreign powers” were responsible for killing protesters in Dey 1404, and held government forces responsible for their “massacre.” In a statement written from Ward Seven of Evin Prison on 24 Shahrivar, Ghadiani pointed to the 22 Bahman march and government-organized rallies in recent months, asking: If those who shot at protesters were “terrorists,” as the government claims, why were they nowhere to be seen at government rallies, which were held under tight security? He called on the media and human rights organizations to question this contradiction in the Islamic Republic’s account, writing: “There were and are no terrorists involved; the killers [...] are the very forces [...] of the ruling establishment.” In the statement, Ghadiani also held Ali Khamenei and his son Mojtaba Khamenei responsible for this “heinous crime” and accused government forces of shooting at protesters. @ VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Abbas Araghchi during a meeting in Beijing on Wednesday that China encourages Iran and the United States to remain rational, exercise restraint, return to the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, and “engage in substantive discussions on issues of mutual interest.” According to the statement, Wang said China “does not want to see regional tensions spread further to Yemen and the Red Sea,” adding: “We call on all parties to take effective steps to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible.” @ VahidOOnLine Abbas Araghchi, the Islamic Republic’s foreign minister, met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Wednesday, 25 Shahrivar, during a visit to China, and stressed the expansion of relations between Tehran and Beijing within the framework of their comprehensive strategic partnership. Araghchi said the current regional situation was the result of US and Israeli military attacks on Iran, and expressed appreciation for China’s positions condemning the actions of the two countries. He said: “The Islamic Republic, while fully prepared to resolutely defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity and protect Iran’s national security and interests against aggressors, welcomes diplomatic solutions that uphold the rights of the Iranian people.” Araghchi also said the regional situation had changed after the war in Iran, and that there would be no place for the presence or interference of foreign forces in the new regional order, which would be shaped by dialogue and cooperation among countries in the region. Referring to what he called repeated violations of commitments by the United States, he said the Islamic Republic wants calm to return to the region and friendly relations with its neighbors, and has begun dialogue with regional countries toward that end. @ VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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Reuters reported on Wednesday, 25 Shahrivar, citing five people familiar with the matter, that U.S. officials met last weekend (Saturday or Sunday) with representatives of the Houthi rebels, who are backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran. According to the report, three of the sources, who asked not to be named, said the unpublicized meeting was held at the U.S. Embassy in Muscat. Two other sources said the government of Oman, a longtime regional mediator, helped arrange the meeting. In 2025, after returning to power, Donald Trump placed the Houthis on the list of “Foreign Terrorist Organizations” and criminalized any support for the group. Trump said on Saturday that the Houthis had contacted his administration by phone and asked the United States to stay out of the war in Yemen. Vice President JD Vance also said on Monday, without providing details, that the United States was in direct contact with the group. Two people familiar with the matter said that at the meeting, which one of them said took place on Sunday, the Houthis told U.S. officials they had no intention of attacking American vessels and were committed to the 2025 ceasefire with the United States. One of the sources, a Yemeni, said the group also stated that it would not attack Israeli ships or any other commercial vessels, except those belonging to Saudi Arabia. @VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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“J.D. Vance,” the U.S. vice president, has said that the war with the Islamic Republic will enter a “completely different phase” over the “next month or two,” and that Washington will then have to prevent the Iranian government from rebuilding its nuclear and military capabilities. Vance has also echoed “Donald Trump’s” prediction that the war will end after the U.S. midterm elections, though he did not explain whether “a different phase” means an escalation of military operations, a reduction in hostilities, or the start of a diplomatic process. In an interview with the New York Post published on Tuesday, 24 Shahrivar 1405, the U.S. vice president said: “We can’t predict the future, but I think the president is right that this issue will enter a completely different phase over the next month or two.” @VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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Hossein Qashqaei, his wife Sara Shamsaei, and Hossein’s brother Abolfazl Qashqaei, who had protested in Dey, were arrested on Thursday, 19 Shahrivar. Hossein Qashqaei and Sara Shamsaei were arrested in Lahijan by Ministry of Intelligence forces and transferred to Arak. Their exact place of detention is unknown, and they are believed to be held at the Arak Intelligence Department detention center. Abolfazl Qashqaei was also arrested that day in Zarandieh, Saveh, and transferred to Arak. According to an informed source, agents violently entered the home during the arrests and took the family members’ phones, tablet, and laptop. Hossein Qashqaei faces charges including “propaganda activities against the system,” “inciting and provoking war and bloodshed with the aim of disrupting national security,” “spreading falsehoods online,” and “gathering and colluding against national security.” The family has not yet been informed of the charges against Abolfazl, and the case involving all three has not yet been referred to a court branch. Since Dey, Hossein and Sara’s SIM cards and Hossein’s bank account had also been blocked. Last month, they were summoned to the Zarandieh Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office but did not appear within the five-day deadline they were given. @ VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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Following a call by the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan, shopkeepers and market traders in several Kurdish cities went on strike and kept their stores closed, marking the fourth anniversary of the state killing of Mahsa Jina Amini and the start of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement. From Wednesday morning until noon, 25 Shahrivar, strikes and closed shops and markets were reported in at least 20 cities, including Urmia, Oshnavieh, Baneh, Bukan, Bijar, Paveh, Piranshahr, Salas-e Babajani, Javanrud, Divandarreh, Ravansar, Saqqez, Sanandaj, Qorveh, Kamyaran, Kermanshah, Kermanshah, Marivan, Mahabad, and Miandoab. @ VahidOOnLine Various websites and news sources covering events in Kurdistan, including Hana, Kurdpa, Kolbar News, Zagros 24, and the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, also published reports and images showing shops closed in different Kurdish cities. Meanwhile, various images and reports have emerged of a heavy security presence and the deployment of military and law-enforcement forces armed with heavy weapons in different Kurdish cities. @ VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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CBS News reported that newly obtained exclusive images show, for the first time, the extent of damage caused by the Islamic Republic’s missile and drone attacks on several U.S. military sites in the Middle East. The images were provided to CBS News by U.S. service members. One of them said the extensive damage to U.S. bases had not been made known to the American public. An image from Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia shows a four-engine Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft struck by a missile in its rear section, with its tail severed from the fuselage and burned. Other images from the base show buildings and barracks with their interiors destroyed. CBS News also reported similar damage at Camp Buehring in Kuwait, a base where U.S. ground forces, armored vehicles, and a number of military aircraft are stationed and prepared for deployment. The Pentagon did not respond to CBS News’s request for comment on the report. @ VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen announced that its air defenses had intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by the Houthis as it attempted to enter Mecca’s airspace. Reuters reported that Turki al-Maliki, the coalition’s spokesperson, said in a statement that this was the Houthis’ second attempt to target Mecca. According to the coalition, a ballistic missile had also been fired toward Mecca about nine years ago. @VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline